Head coach William Wertheimer demanded the referee’s attention, and the clock froze with just one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. A crucial save– 1 of 19– by senior quad-captain Corey Gilford gave the Blue Devils possession and preserved their 6-4 lead over Summit.
“I mean two goals can be scored in thirty seconds,” warned senior quad-captain Drew Pravlik.
As both teams repopulated the field, the Hilltoppers showed no sign of surrendering their seven-year Union County Tournament reign. Their ruthless defense swarmed, and their goalie left his post to help trap Westfield. A questionable call handed possession back to Summit.
Five rapid passes later, freshman Cooper Smoragiewiczsk whipped the ball between the poles, slicing Westfield’s lead in half.
With overtime looming, Summit’s Andrew Smallwood and Westfield’s Cooper Richmond met at centerfield for one final faceoff. Smallwood, dominant all game with 10 out of 13 faceoff wins and a 57 percent season average, gained control again– until Richmond checked him hard, jarring the ball loose. Players dive and sticks merely scooped turf.
Amidst the chaos, a tripping violation on senior quad-captain Colin Coyle gave Summit possession with 15 seconds left.
Summit’s Quinn Hynes sprinted from midfield, drawing two defenders as he approached the crease, leaving teammate Chris Davies alone in front of the goal.
Hynes threaded– just wide. It barely missed Davies’s pocket, but it did. The ball flew out of bounds with Blue Devil junior Ben Seward closest.
With just two seconds remaining, Seward launched the ball skyward, ending Summit’s dynasty and naming Westfield the 2025 UCT champions.
For the past 13 years, only two teams have graced the UCT final field: Summit and Westfield. In 2024, the Blue Devils came close to ending the Hilltoppers’ six-year title streak, but fell just short 5-6. After a lopsided 11-6 loss to Summit earlier this season, many expected history to repeat itself and the first half seemed to confirm this hypothesis.
Despite a strong defensive showing, Westfield struggled to maintain Summit’s transition game. “A lot of their goals in the first quarter were fast breaks,” said Pravlik. “So, we had to tighten up and get our midfielders in faster. But once we were settled and it was a six-on-six we were perfectly fine,” said Pravlik.
Westfield only managed three shots on goal and entered the second quarter trailing 0-2, yet they stuck to their offensive plan of “long offensive possessions,” said Wertheimer. “[Summit] runs a great zone and we wanted to wear them down to get a smart shot. We kind of came out not doing that, but when we came back from halftime we were able to start producing.”
Early in the second quarter, Hynes ripped a shot from 15 yards out, extending the lead to 3-0 proceeding a 10-minute defensive deadlock– until a window opened for Westfield.
“On the clear, [Summit] was blocking off our two shorts and they left me open,” said Seward. “I had a pretty good lane and their defender stayed onto our other attackman, so I had a clear lane to go down. I took the contact and bounced a shot right behind the goalie.”
Seward’s goal lit a spark entering the halftime break. “It was 3-0 and we hadn’t scored yet, so I felt like that first goal showed everyone that we can score against this team and that it’s possible to win this game,” he said.
Though the score still favored Summit, Westfield could feel the momentum shift. Coyle was “confident that their shots would start falling.”
In addition to making a few “adjustments,” Wertheimer introduced a new play to expose Summit’s defense. “We named it ‘Hogwash’ after Coach Sherwitch, the original coach who passed away,” said Wertheimer. “We scored off it which was awesome.”
Coyle assisted senior Garrett Ferguson’s goal at the nine-minute mark, and senior Luke Angelo’s goal four minutes later. “We have been playing together since third or fourth grade and we all know each other’s tendencies,” said Coyle. “Also, at practice we have been working on breaking a zone and it finally clicked today.”
Seward notched his second goal of the game in a one-on-one with Summit’s goalie, and senior Billy Gerne followed suit, exploiting a defensive hole.
“Two goals can be scored in thirty seconds,” warned Pravlik, or four goals can be scored in 12 minutes. By the end of the third quarter, Westfield had rattled off four unanswered goals, establishing a 5-3 lead. “We just had to keep our heads on the right path and we knew we were going to start finishing shots,” said Pravlik.
Early in the fourth, Coyle scored a dazzling goal of his own with a cut to the middle and spin from behind the crease. Summit responded quickly with a shot from the wing, but Westfield held firm, never relinquishing their lead.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Devils erupted in celebration, their sticks, gloves and helmets flying into the sky as a sea of white jerseys stormed the field. A rush of fans followed, their cheers echoing through the air. “We haven’t won this in seven years and to see a really big crowd that came to support us– way bigger than Summit’s crowd– it means everything,” said Coyle.
Pravlik, Gilford and Seward expressed the immense satisfaction of finally overcoming Summit.
“This feels amazing,” said Pravlik. “The past three years we have lost this game, and to win this one is a huge accomplishment.”
Gilford echoed this sentiment: “We have dreamed about this game. The other seniors and I have been in the stands since we were six or seven years old, watching us lose in this county final. It feels awesome. I have dreamed about this since I was a kid.”
And Seward reflected on his journey: “We haven’t beaten them in years, and as a kid, I would always go to this game and watch us lose. So it feels good to be on the winning side.”
After ample celebration, the Blue Devils will host St. Augustine at 4:30 p.m. on May 13. “Summit is one of the top teams in the state,” said Wertheimer. “We proved that we can hang with them and beat them, so going forward it shows us that anything is possible.”
Wertheimer also acknowledged the significance of this victory over the Hilltoppers for the class of 2025. “It feels great,” he said. “I think the seniors really deserved it. They have won a state championship, a TOC, one of the toughest conferences, and this was one thing they were missing. It’s more for them than anything else. They broke the drought and they are such a talented group of guys.”
